Why is it important that the lunchbox is healthy?

Lunch boxes are constantly in the press these days, is it healthy, isn’t it. As a parent it is hard to know. Today we want to help you with this and we look at why it is important that the lunch box is healthy. We’ve also searched far and wide to share links with useful resources we have found on ways to make the lunch box healthy.

Why is it important that the lunch box is healthy?

The two main aims of the lunchbox are:

1 to provide fuel, to keep those energy levels up

2 to keep you alert, concentrating right through to the next meal

As a guide the lunch should provide you with one third of the daily nutrients required to keep you healthy.

The simplest illustration is the “eatwell guide”, showing what your daily intake should be made up of. You may already be familiar with it. This used to be known as the eatwell plate but has since been updated.

How do I know what portion size to pack in the lunch box? Can you give some guidance?

We’ve found a useful guide on portion sizes for each age group so this should help you gauge how much to pack in that lunch box and also what size lunch box to get. Remember we don’t want to overwhelm the child if they are just starting at school, but equally need to consider snacks for break time and possibly after school if they carry on with after school activities before coming home at the end of the school day.

Are there other resources that help illustrate why it is important the lunch box is healthy?

We have listed some of the really useful websites we have found on nutrition and healthy lunchboxes or healthy eating. We will continue to update this with new links as we find new resources to help you keep those lunch boxes healthy when packing lunches, whether it is for you, your family or your kids:

Food Standards Agency

British Nutrition Foundation

School Food Trust

For more lunch box ideas, do have a good look around Lunchbox World and grab some inspiration!

Hopefully this has helped answer the question why is it important that the lunchbox is healthy. Check out our Nutrition section for more information.